Topic: Medicine
Researchers at UCLA have developed a new way to create cancer-fighting cells from cord blood. These cells can recognize and attack cancer cells with high precision, even in solid tumors. The team's method uses stem cells from donated cord blood, which are engineered to target a specific protein found in many types of cancer.
T cell receptor therapy is a type of cancer treatment that genetically modifies immune cells called T cells.
The approach resembles CAR T-cell therapy, but there is an important difference. CAR T-cell therapy can recognize proteins on the outside of cancer cells, while TCR therapy can detect small pieces of proteins inside cancer cells and transported to their outer surface.
This expanded reach could be especially important for treating solid tumors, as many molecular changes that make these cells cancerous are found inside the cell rather than on its exterior. However, current approaches to TCR therapy face a major practical obstacle: producing personalized treatments from each patient's own T cells can take weeks and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Researchers at UCLA have investigated another possibility: using T cells from healthy donors to create treatments ahead of time that could be stored and given to many different patients. However, donor cells introduce another danger: they can cause graft-versus-host disease, a potentially serious condition in which the transplanted immune cells mistakenly attack the patient's healthy tissue.
The UCLA team has developed a strategy that could address both problems at the same time. They used blood stem cells from cord blood to create cancer-targeting T cells. These immature cells can eventually develop into every major type of blood and immune cell. The researchers inserted a gene for a receptor that recognizes NY-ESO-1, a protein found in many solid tumors.
After engineering the stem cells, the researchers guided them to develop into mature T cells in the laboratory. Adding the cancer-targeting receptor at such an early stage has an important advantage: as the engineered stem cells mature, they do not develop the random collection of natural T cell receptors normally found on donor T cells.
The team's method was tested in mouse models of ovarian cancer and melanoma. A single dose of the engineered cells controlled tumor growth and helped the animals survive longer without producing dangerous side effects.
Why It Matters
This breakthrough could lead to more effective and affordable cancer treatments for patients in India, where access to healthcare can be limited. The use of cord blood as a source material also reduces the risk of graft-versus-host disease, making it a safer option for patients.
Key Facts
- Researchers at UCLA have developed a new method to create cancer-fighting cells from cord blood.
- The team's approach uses stem cells from donated cord blood, which are engineered to target a specific protein found in many types of cancer.
- The method was tested in mouse models of ovarian cancer and melanoma, with promising results.
- The use of cord blood reduces the risk of graft-versus-host disease, making it a safer option for patients.
- The team's breakthrough could lead to more effective and affordable cancer treatments for patients in India.
Key Terms
- T cell receptor therapy
- A type of cancer treatment that genetically modifies immune cells called T cells.
- CAR T-cell therapy
- A type of cancer treatment that recognizes proteins on the outside of cancer cells.
- NY-ESO-1
- A protein found in many solid tumors, targeted by the engineered stem cells.
Implications
This breakthrough could lead to more effective and affordable cancer treatments for patients in India, where access to healthcare can be limited. The use of cord blood as a source material also reduces the risk of graft-versus-host disease, making it a safer option for patients.
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